COMPANY PROFILES
The Winlectric Way
With one of the more innovative operating philosophies in the electrical industry, Winlectric grows its network of locally owned companies with sweat equity and pride of ownership.
July, p. 20
Partners in Profit
Stoneway Electric Supply is cashing in with dramatic sales increases at its new counter area in South Seattle.
October, p. 15
ECONOMIC FORECASTS
One More Year
Electrical distributors are forecasting continuing weak demand for electrical supplies in 2003, but they expect a solid recovery to take root in 2004.
January, p. 19
In Search of Growth
Although the industrial market is showing some signs of life, it will be awhile before the contractor business segment begins to recover. Find out when DISC Corp.'s Herm Isenstein expects business conditions to improve in the electrical wholesaling industry.
June, p. 11
2004 Industry Outlook
While it looks like 2004 could be a year of steady economic recovery, the electrical wholesaling industry isn't out of the woods yet. It will take some time to work off excess capacity in the industrial and office sectors. Until that happens, electrical distributors will have to be satisfied with slower growth.
November, p. 12
Economic Factbook
The construction market will take a turn for the better in 2004.
December, p. 18
EDITORIALS & OPINIONS
Computers 2003.1
Computers are one of the most cussed and discussed topics in today's electrical wholesaling industry.
January, p. 2
Ripples in the Water
The electrical wholesaling industry will be a changed business when we emerge from this recession.
February, p. 2
The Real Genius of Thomas Alva Edison
The Wizard of Menlo Park can teach us quite a bit about persistence.
March, p. 2
The Song Remains the Same
Paul Simon's song “Still Crazy After All These Years” could be talking about the lighting market.
April, p. 2
On the Shoulders of Giants
One of the most important gifts you can give someone in the electrical business is your insight as a mentor.
May, p. 2
The Top 200
Our annual listing of the industry's largest distributors has a distinctly new look — and even more content.
June, p. 3
The Man in the Chair Lives
Electrical Wholesaling readers can learn from a classic advertisement touting the power of promotion.
July, p. 3
The New Normalcy
The China syndrome scares the living daylights out of industrially oriented distributors, reps and manufacturers.
September, p. 3
Web Redux
It's time to rethink how you can use the Internet as a business tool.
October, p. 3
Doing the Data
When it comes to market forecasting, sometimes you lean more from the journey than the destination.
November, p. 3
Making 2004 a Great Year
With 2004 upon us, this list of ideas — from A to Z — can help you prepare your business for a profitable year.
December, p. 3
ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORS
Keeping Contractors Happy
There aren't many surprises on the average electrical contractor's “wish list.” Here's how electrical distributors can help contractors get what they need — and increase sales at the same time.
January, p. 36
Your Contractors' Concerns
Part 2 of this two-part series explores the worries that keep electrical contractors awake at night. With some careful consideration, you can put them to bed for your customers.
February, p. 36
The Nation's Top 50 Electrical Contracting Firms
Electrical Wholesaling's sister publication, Electrical Construction and Maintenance ranks the industry's largest electrical contractors. Many of the biggest contractors in the United States experienced double-digit drops in 2002 sales.
September, p. 28
Contractor Concerns
Canadian contractors speak about what they expect from electrical distributors in a benchmark study by Pembroke Consulting.
October, p. 28
ELECTRONIC COMMERCE & COMPUTERS
Computers 2003.1
Computers are one of the most cussed and discussed topics in today's electrical wholesaling industry.
January, p. 2
Making the Upgrade
Selecting and installing a new software system can be an unsettling challenge for an electrical distributor, but it can also position your company for greater success. This article will help you through the process.
January, p. 28
Software Shopping
In this Speaking Out column, Prophet 21's Doug Levin offers five steps that can help you make a more intelligent purchase when buying enterprise software.
January, p. 50
Customer Relationship Building
While some electrical distributors are hesitant to invest in e-business, the author builds a compelling case for why it can be an effective tool. Part one of two.
March, p. 32
Customer Relationship Building
To build an e-business relationship with your customer, you must dig deep into that company's culture. Second of two parts.
April, p. 32
Ebay Enters Electrical Market
Ebay's senior management team has discovered the electrical market. So far, they like what they see.
September, p. 10
The Web: A Reality Check
Are you trying to figure out what the Web can really do for your company? This article can help.
October, p. 18
IDEA Offers New Tool to Clean Up Data Errors
Data synchronization is the key to the future success of e-business in the electrical industry. This new tool may help keep your data in order.
December, p. 14
FEATURES
The Graduates
Are you looking for well-trained new employees? Industrial distribution programs at many of the nation's universities are a terrific resource for electrical distributors.
March, p. 22
2003 Hot Products
The judges have narrowed down the entries for EC&M magazine's 2003 Product of the Year competition. Now it's your turn to pick the winner. Check out the 20 finalists.
March, p. 26
Hall of Shame
Joe Tedesco unveils some of the worst violations of the National Electrical Code he has seen in his career as an electrical inspector, electrician and instructor on the NEC.
May, p. 28
Connecting with Distributors
Cooper Connection's new executive team has retooled a wide array of sales, promotional and marketing activities for Cooper's stable of electrical products.
May, p. 32
The Top 40 Design Firms
The electrical construction market is a tough business for companies of all sizes. Learn what the largest engineering companies in the United States have to say about the challenges they face ahead in a buyer's market.
July, p. 20
A Look Inside the Electrical Distributor
Electrical Wholesaling's most recent reader profile offers interesting insight into what makes its readers tick.
July, p. 32
The New Texas
Sparked by the demise of Warren Electric, Texas-market turmoil has created market opportunities for many other Texas distributors.
September, p. 22
The Shrinking Industrial Market
In the past 10 years, the industrial market has shrunk more than 33 percent in terms of electrical distributors' total dollar sales.
October, p. 18
Top 10 News Stories of 2003
Here are Electrical Wholesaling's picks for the most interesting news stories of 2003.
December, p. 18
GLOBAL MARKET
Outlook on Europe
With macroeconomic numbers as well as industry statistics almost universally flat, European wholesalers hold up hope that 2004 will be the turning point in their fortunes.
October, p. 30
INDUSTRY ANALYSIS
Hanging Tough in 2003
On the heels of a downcast 2002, most electrical businesses see 2003 as a flat year of retrenchment — with occasional pockets of profit for those companies able to switch gears and move into new markets.
January, p. 20
The Top 200
EW has been tracking the growth of the electrical wholesaling industry's largest distributors since 1970. While industry consolidation has slowed down in the past two years, mergers and acquisitions are still reshaping the business. This exclusive EW resource is an industry benchmark.
June, p. 14
The Largest Electrical Distributors
These capsule summaries will introduce you to the 75 largest electrical distributors in the land.
June, p. 23
LEGISLATION
NAW Update
A White House briefing by President Bush on his economic-stimulus plan was one of the highlights of NAW's 2003 Executive Summit.
February, p. 18
R&D Reigns Supreme in Lighting
Osram Sylvania is banking on its devotion to energy savings, e-business and product innovation to differentiate itself in the lighting market.
April, p. 19
A Bitter Pill
As health insurance premiums continue to rise, small businesses may see relief in the form of association health plan (AHP) legislation.
April, p. 21
LIGHTING
R&D Reigns Supreme in Lighting
Osram Sylvania is banking on its devotion to energy savings, e-business and product innovation to differentiate itself in the lighting market.
April, p. 19
Lighting Market 101
Do you want to boost your company's sales of energy-efficient lighting products? This market update will give you insight on this profitable business niche.
April, p. 24
Understanding Lamp Dimming Technologies
What began as a device for simply matching lighting levels to various tasks and moods has emerged as a tool for reducing energy usage.
April, p. 26
Lighting Audits
Lighting audits can help building owners slash energy costs — and provide distributors with another tool to build profitable relationships with customers.
April, p. 30
MANAGEMENT
Selling Your Business
M&A specialist Burk Burkhardt has been in on some of the larger acquisitions in recent months. With his insight, you can get an idea of what to expect for your company if you decide to sell.
February, p. 34
Profitable Planning
You can systematically improve profits at your accounts by planning properly. In today's business environment, the concepts of planning and analytical evaluation are synonymous with overall success.
March, p. 36
Successfully Selling Your Company
A selling owner acting as his or her financial advisor in negotiating an acquisition has a fool for an acquisition consultant/investment banker.
April, p. 36
SPAs Spark Concerns
Electrical distributors and manufacturers are working together to cut down on the waste now associated with special pricing authorizations.
December, p. 14
MARKETING
Your Very Own Brand
Electrical distributors need to understand how their company's own brand affects their business even more than the manufacturers' brands they carry.
March, p. 20
Making New Work for You
New-product introductions can open doors to untapped customers and bring additional sales from old accounts.
April, p. 38
How to Launch New Products
With these eight simple steps, electrical distributors can learn how to maximize sales when introducing new products.
December, p. 18
MARKET PLANNING
The 2004 Market Planning Guide
Since 1978, Electrical Wholesaling has provided sales forecasts to the electrical market. This year's data will be of particular interest to electrical distributors, independent manufacturers' reps and electrical manufacturers as they prepare their companies for the expected sales growth in the electrical market.
November, p. 14
Regional Reports
This section offers sales forecasts, employment data and regional economic snapshots that will help you analyze the economic prospects for various regions of the United States.
November, p. 18
Customer Mix
If you are searching for the proportion of electrical distributors' sales that goes to each of the key customer groups, look no further than the Customer Mix section.
November, p. 32
Market Mix
Electrical Wholesaling's Market Mix data provides insight into electrical distributors' estimates on the end-uses for the products they sell. By multiplying a region's sales forecast by these percentages, you can estimate the sales of each type of end use.
November, p. 33
Product Mix
Are you trying to figure out which products are nearest and dearest to the hearts of electrical distributors? Electrical Wholesaling's Product Mix data will help you develop rough estimates for the sales potential for more than 40 types of electrical products.
November, p. 34
REPS
The Rep Today and Tomorrow
In this exclusive Electrical Wholesaling feature article, NEMRA's Hank Bergson offers a glimpse of the challenges independent manufacturers' reps will face in the future.
February, p. 24
Market Thyself
Independent manufacturers' reps must establish their own unique brand with their customers. The reps that speak out in this article offer their ideas on how marketing helps them do that.
February, p. 24
Spotlight on NEMRA
Presentations by the industry's four largest buying/marketing groups and a former Harley-Davidson exec highlighted the program at the 2003 NEMRA meeting.
April, p. 18
Winners of the 2003 GEM Awards for Independent Reps
Dennis McDonald, McDonald Associates, Arlington Heights, Ill.; and Tom Fisher, Fishco & Associates, St. Louis, received GEM Awards at the 2003 NEMRA Annual Conference.
May, p. 20
Strength in Diversity
In Electrical Wholesaling's inaugural Rep World profile, independent rep Hugh M. Cunningham goes after diverse markets by blending market-specific sales efforts with centralized back-office support.
September, p. 20
Reps Unite at Keystone
Reps from NEMRA, ERA and MANA discovered they can learn from each other despite the drastic differences in the products they sell.
October, p. 16
Partners in Profit
Stoneway Electric Supply is cashing in with dramatic sales increases at its new counter area in South Seattle.
October, p. 15
Keeping a Clear Eye on the Future
Strategic planning and diversifying business are among the weapons that independent rep Bell & McCoy keeps in its arsenal.
December, p. 16
SALES
The New World of Sales
This article offers an overview of the selling skills that “A” players are now using in the sales game.
January, p. 38
The Call of the Chill
You can differentiate yourself from competing salespeople at other electrical distributors by learning to make more effective cold calls.
February, p. 38
Up Against a Wall
When customers throw up price objections, you must be prepared to prove your value.
March, p. 38
Making New Work for You
New-product introductions can open doors to untapped customers and bring additional sales from old accounts.
April, p. 38
Rx for Sales Effectiveness
This month's sales feature will show you why a purple pill won't grow revenue, but a sales effectiveness process will help.
May, p. 38
Joint Calls
When they are on the road, many field salespeople at electrical supply houses enjoy flying solo. But by joining forces with manufacturers' reps, distributor salespeople can reap great rewards.
June, p. 36
Moving Up to Management
Being a top salesperson for an electrical distributor doesn't necessarily mean you will become a good manager. This article focuses on the extra preparation you will need to move up the ladder.
July, p. 34
How to Keep Top Salespeople
Industry veteran Bob Finley, former president of St. Louis' Glasco Electric Supply, offers nine tips you can use to keep your salespeople happy.
September, p. 36
Keeping Winners
Sometimes the way to keep stellar sellers as part of your winning team is to promote them to management.
October, p. 36
Conducting a Successful Sales Meeting
Monthly sales meetings can help keep a distributor's sales team well informed about vendors' products, customers' needs and tools for selling.
December, p. 34
SOURCE BOOK
Evaluating Vendors
This resource offers the questions distributors should ask when evaluating potential new suppliers. Manufacturers will find these questions useful, too, because they give a good idea of what distributors need to know about their distribution policies.
August, p. 4
Who Owns Whom
Are you trying to find a long-lost brand? This resource may help. It shows which manufacturers acquired, developed or are nurturing dozens of well-known electrical brands.
August, p. 14
Electrical Suppliers A-Z
This is the most complete listing available anywhere of the electrical manufacturers that sell their products through electrical distributors.
August, p. 16
Product Categories
If you need to know which manufacturers offer specific products, check out this listing of key product categories.
August, p. 33
STRUCTURED WIRING
Security Market Sales
The security market isn't as far from mainstream electrical business as some distributors, manufacturers and reps may think.
February, p. 20
Home Sweet Home
In this Speaking Out column, Genesis Cable Systems' John Pryma offers insight into how the residential structured cabling market is a rare path of growth for electrical distributors.
March, p. 50
Selecting Wire and Cable Management Systems
A variety of solutions for copper and fiber cable-support systems offer increased flexibility and lower life-cycle costs.
May, p. 34
The ABCs of Residential Structured Wiring
Are you looking for a basic overview of the residential structured wiring market? Your search has ended. This one-stop A-to-Z resource walks you through key trends, players and technical basics in the home-networking market. First of two parts.
May, p. 23
The ABCs of Residential Structured Wiring — Part 2
Are you confused by some of the technical jargon in the residential structured wiring market? This glossary will walk you through the jargon. The second of two parts.
June, p. 12
The State of Residential Structured Wiring
A new survey shows builders are taking consumer demand for technology-connected homes very seriously.
September, p. 28